terrorist financing comes from two primary sources

The primary objective of terrorism is “to intimidate a population, or to compel a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act”. In contrast, the motivating factor behind most other types of criminal activity is financial gain. While this difference certainly exists between these groups, terrorist organizations still require financial support to achieve their goals. A successful terrorist group, like a criminal organization, is one that is able to build and maintain an effective financial infrastructure through various sources of funding.

It is generally believed that terrorist financing comes from two primary sources. The first source is the financial support provided by countries, political entities or organizations. Apparently, this type of sponsored terrorism has declined in recent years and is increasingly being replaced by other types of backing. An individual with sufficient financial means may also provide substantial funding to terrorist groups. For example, Osama bin Laden contributed significant amounts of his personal wealth (estimated at US$250 million derived from his family ties and an additional amount estimated at approximately US$800 million acquired from his participation in the opium trade) to establish and support the al-Qaeda terrorist network.